Iran says three tankers caught fire in Hormuz

Iran's foreign minister put a two day deadline on Tehran's latest offer to end the war on Sunday, hours after President Donald Trump said a resumption of the war was highly unlikely if talks progress.

Why it matters: Tehran's deadline raises the near term stakes around the partly blocked strait: Sunday brought a United States signal against renewed strikes, an Iranian ultimatum with a two day clock, a United States request that Iraq close most of its border crossings with Iran, and an understanding meant to keep Iraqi oil moving through a lane near Oman.

Data as of Update of November 8, 2026, 18:12 Toronto: Reuters report of November 8, 2026, carried by gCaptain and read in full, for Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein's Al Jazeera interview statement that Iraq has reached understandings with the United States to allow Iraqi oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz via a shipping lane near Oman, and for Iraqi officials' figures putting October exports at about 3.5 million barrels per day, up from 2.65 million in September. The understanding is Hussein's own account in a single interview and is uncorroborated by a United States statement in the reporting read, so the story stays at grade C. Earlier update of November 8, 2026, 16:45 Toronto: The Hill report of November 8, 2026, read in full via the estate browser route, for Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi's post on X setting a two day proposal and Iran's offer to reopen the strait against conditions including sanctions relief and release of frozen assets; the article carried no direct United States response to the post. Araghchi is a party to the conflict and the post is carried by a single outlet in the reporting read, so the story stays at grade C. Earlier update of November 8, 2026, 14:45 Toronto: AFP report of November 8, 2026, carried by Arab News and read in full via the estate browser route, for Trump's CNN interview and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi's remarks to Iranian state television; Reuters report of November 8, 2026, carried by Arab News and read in full via the estate browser route, for Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein's Al-Jazeera interview on the US border crossing request, the Sheeb crossing closure last month and the $60 billion loss figure, which is Hussein's own and uncorroborated in the reporting read. No US Treasury confirmation of the crossing request appears in the reporting read, so the update stays at grade C. Earlier update of November 8, 2026, 12:13 Toronto: Reuters report of November 8, 2026, carried by gCaptain and read in full, for the Saturday evening explosions in southern Iran, Iranian state television's suggestion that they were Iranian military activity, the Tasnim report of two missiles striking Qeshm Island, and Qatar's denial of reports that the US and Iran had failed to reach a deal; Reuters said it was not able to confirm any of the reported strikes, so the update stays at grade C. Earlier: November 8, 2026, 08:42 Toronto: AFP report of November 8, 2026, carried by Arab News and read in full via the estate browser route, for the Revolutionary Guards statement and for AFP stating it was unable to confirm whether the various reports referenced the same incidents; Deutsche Welle report of November 8, 2026, read in full via the estate browser route, carries the same Guards claim. The Guards are a party to the conflict and their claim is uncorroborated by an independent source in the reporting read, so this item is graded C. The Guards did not name the tankers or give their nationalities, and Tehran has made similar announcements in recent weeks. Developing item.

Latest: Iraq has reached understandings with the United States to allow Iraqi oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz via a shipping lane near Oman, Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said in an interview with Al Jazeera, Reuters reported. Hussein put Iraq’s losses from the war and disrupted oil exports at $60 billion, a figure carried only in his interview, and Iraqi energy officials put October exports at about 3.5 million barrels per day, recovered from 2.65 million barrels per day in September.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi put a two day clock on Tehran’s latest offer on Sunday, posting on X that Iran’s two-day proposal stands, requiring an end to the war on all fronts, and warning that the alternative was war, The Hill reported. Araghchi wrote that American voters have made their choice and that it is time for the White House to make its own. The Hill said Iran has offered to reopen the Strait of Hormuz if the United States meets conditions including lifting sanctions and releasing billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets, and its report carried no direct United States response to the post.

President Donald Trump told CNN on Sunday that resuming the war with Iran was highly unlikely to be necessary while talks progress, conditioning any return to strikes on Iran signing a strong agreement, AFP reported. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told state television that mediator travel had stopped for the past few days because of the shock of the US election results, and that Tehran was waiting to see how Washington digests them before deciding how to move forward. Separately, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein told Al-Jazeera that the US Treasury has asked Iraq to close all of its border crossings with Iran except two, one of them in the Kurdistan region, and that discussions continue after he told Washington a full closure would be difficult and would hurt Iraq’s economy, Reuters reported. Hussein put Iraq’s losses from the war and disrupted oil exports at $60 billion, a figure carried only in his interview.

Earlier: Iranian state television suggested that explosions heard in southern Iran on Saturday evening, including on Qeshm Island in the strait, were related to Iranian military activities rather than US strikes, and said officials had not confirmed any missile strikes on Iranian territory, Reuters reported. The semi-official Tasnim news agency said two missiles had struck Qeshm Island, with no official information on possible damage, and neither Iran nor the United States has commented on that report. Reuters said it was not able to confirm any of the reported strikes on vessels. Qatar, which is mediating talks to end the conflict, on Saturday denied reports that the United States and Iran had failed to reach a deal, and its prime minister affirmed that both sides were continuing to work toward an agreement.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said in a statement on Sunday that three non-compliant oil tankers had exploded and caught fire in the early hours of the morning while sailing in what they called the illegal channel in the Strait of Hormuz, AFP reported. The Guards did not name the tankers or state their nationalities.

Britain’s UKMTO agency separately reported that a tanker had caught fire off Khasab, Oman, a day earlier, with its crew evacuated, and that another tanker was struck by an unknown projectile on Saturday, while Emirati state media said 22 people had been rescued from a burning vessel in the Gulf of Oman and were in stable condition. AFP said it was unable to confirm whether those reports and the Guards statement referred to the same incidents.

Iran says three tankers caught fire in Hormuz

Sources